ABSTRACT
Over much of twentieth century the nation in the vanguard of the revolution in health was the Soviet Union. By 1960 the Soviet infant mortality rate, higher than any in Europe as late as the 1920s, was lower than that of Italy, Austria, or East Germany, and seemed sure to undercut such nations as Belgium and West Germany any year. The only people in a position to know are the Soviet authorities, and they have been reluctant to advertise their nation's health crisis, or to highlight the flaws in their system responsible for it. The health crisis in the Soviet Union, however, cannot be comprehended without considering several often misunderstood points about Soviet government and Russian society. The Soviet health crisis presents the Politburo with serious problems. The increase in death and disease probably cannot be stemmed soon at any acceptable cost.
